What is elder abuse?

Elder abuse and neglect has become one of the most underreported criminal acts in recent years and it's important that we all step back and take a look at this growing injustice. We must all understand what elder abuse entails and what we can do to stop the abuse. Many people believe that elder abuse consists of physical and/or mental abuse, but the abuse does not stop there. There are other types of abuse that criminals will use when it comes to scamming and abusing an elderly target.

Until recently, elder abuse had been a hidden criminal act; one that many people wouldn't talk about. Similar to the recent fight against child abuse, elder abuse has finally come to the forefront and more people are beginning to understand the implications of elder abuse on our growing senior population.

The United States has the second largest elder population over the age of 80; second only to China. It is estimated that by the year 2030 our population will consist of 1 out of 5 American's being over the age of 65. With this increase in our elderly population, America may see a huge increase in elder abuse if something is not done to alert American's to the dangers our elderly face in their homes, nursing homes, boarding homes, and adult family homes.

What type of abuse do our elderly face? There are many crimes associated with elder abuse: physical abuse, mental abuse, neglect, financial abuse, and a slew of scams that criminals use to extort money from an elderly citizen. Currently there are several scams or frauds being used against the elderly: sweetheart scams, home improvement scams, living trust scams, and financial abuse just to name a few. Many of these scams or frauds are perpetrated by transients; people who travel around the United States targeting elderly people in several cities and/or states.

Sweetheart scams consist of a criminal who targets elderly citizens who have lost their spouse. The scammer will get information from the obituaries in the newspaper to target a recently widowed elderly man. Once the criminal gains information from the obituaries, she will then gather more information about the elderly widow; information such as address, phone number, is there friends or family who visit the elderly person on a regular basis, and financial situation? While it is mainly elderly men that get targeted by young, beautiful women this type of scam can occur to elderly women by transient young men as well.

Once the criminal gains information, he/she will observe the elderly widow's daily activity. Then, at an unsuspecting time, the criminal will approach the widow in a parking lot or other public place and begin a conversation with the elderly person. Usually the scammer is a young, beautiful woman who gains trust from the elderly man and finds a way to gain access to his home, etc. The elderly man who is lonely and wanting companionship will fall in love with the young woman believing that the young woman is sincere in wanting a relationship. What the elderly gentleman doesn't know is, once this young woman gains his trust, she will get her name on his will, the title of his car and home, and on his checking and savings account and will later leave him with nothing. Once the woman has depleted all his income, taken over his home and other possessions, she will move on to the next elderly man.

Home improvement scams are another criminal act perpetrated by criminals who target the elderly woman or man who lives alone and doesn't have many friends or relatives that would interfere. What occurs next is the scammer will promise to do home repairs for a minimal amount; an amount that seems reasonable for an elderly person on a fixed income. When the repairman reports the job is completed and the repairman is paid, the elderly person doesn't realize the job was not completed as agreed or the repairman uses cheap materials and the repair job falls apart.

Sometimes there will be more than one repairman. One repairman will seem to be working while the other keeps the elderly person busy. The one who is supposed to be working will gain access to the home and search for valuables such as jewels and/or money that is stored in the home. The two repairmen will then leave the home, leaving the elderly person without the repairs being done and having to deal alone with stolen heirlooms and/or money. Another scam not reported because the elderly person is embarrassed and worried about losing his/her independence.

Physical and mental abuse occurs mainly at home, but may also occur in nursing homes, boarding homes, and adult family homes. Physical abuse can consist of rape, beatings, starvation, withholding water and medications, burns, and many other physical abuses. Mental abuse can consist of berating the elderly person, yelling, screaming, and/or other hurtful abuses that take away the elderly person's dignity and self-esteem. Threatening the elderly person to keep him/her quiet is a widely used criminal act perpetrated by the abuser. If you walk up to an elderly person and he/she cowers away from you, this may be one of the biggest signs of abuse. Even if an elderly person has dementia or Alzheimer's, it doesn't mean that he/she could not be viable witnesses to abuse and neglect. It takes interview skills, knowledge, and observation skills to question a person with dementia or Alzheimer's. It's not an easy task, but it can be done.

Who are the perpetrators? More times than not the abuser will be a family member, friend, companion, spouse, and/or caregiver. The abuser will keep the elderly person away from the general public and/or other family members or friends, so the elderly person cannot reveal the abuse that is occurring on a daily basis. Nursing homes, adult family homes, and boarding homes are also areas in which an elderly person might get abused. This abuse can come in the way of neglect, physical and mental abuse, rape, starvation, loss of rights and independence, and many other abuses.

These facilities are monitored by the government and are usually more difficult for perpetrators to abuse the elderly. However, abuse and neglect do occur in these types of settings and it's important for family members and friends of the elderly to visit these facilities frequently and to report any signs of physical and/or mental abuse to the state office that monitors these facilities. One very important thing to remember is that abusers will prey on those elderly people who have none or very little family or friends. When there are no family or friends, the abuser is capable of perpetrating all types of abuses against the elderly.

Many times scams are not reported because the elderly person is afraid and/or embarrassed to tell anyone about the scam. The elderly person is afraid that family members will see this scam as a crutch to put the elderly person in a nursing home or other community setting therefore losing more of his/her independence. Occasionally, a family member will reveal a scam, but usually it's too late. By this time, the scammer is gone to the next town or state looking for another lonely elderly man or woman to befriend. Money is the motivator in this type of scam and when the money runs out, the scammer is off to scam the next elderly person. If the abuser is a family member, the elderly person will not want to prosecute him/her for the abuse or neglect. Elderly persons are very trusting and the abuser may be the only family member the elderly person has. It's devastating to an elderly person to see his/her family member hauled off to jail.

Whatever the abuse, whether physical or mental, it is important that we all pay more attention to our elderly population and become advocates for their health and welfare. If we don't step up and stop these abuses now, we may one day be that elderly person targeted by criminals who only want our money and/or belongings. It has been said that elderly people who are abused and neglected die within one year of the criminal act. Do you want to be a part of the statistics or will you step up now and help that elderly parent, neighbor, or friend before these crimes go unreported and criminals move on to the next unsuspecting senior? Remember this: if elder abuse and neglect are not stopped now, when you reach your elder years you will have a much higher chance of being abused and neglected yourself. Stop the abuse now!